Nars Velvet Matte Skin Tint Review – St Moritz

So I recently got my hands on the new Nars Velvet Skin Matte Tint and boy did I squeal out loud with excitement when I did. There’s been a lot of new foundation releases recently but being a combination to oily skin gal (definitely swaying more towards oily more often than not nowadays), it was the Velvet Matte Skin Tint that actually made me stand up and really take notice. Now this is a base that I could not wait to put to the test and review.

The oil-free formulation promises a soft-matte finish with an SPF 30 for all day wear. Now I’m definitely more partial to a bit of a matte finish more so than I am to a luminous one, and despite appreciating the luminous look on others, on me, luminous often equates to shiny at midday and seriously greasy by mid afternoon. It just doesn’t work on my skin type. Therefore my preference of late has been to reach for bases that promise more of a natural, satin, matte or demi-matte finish.

With a range of 12 ‘global’ shades on offer, catering for cool, neutral and warm undertones, I was drawn to the shade name that rang a familiar bell. I’m pretty sure that I am the shade St Moritz in the Nars Radiance Tinted Moisturiser (after checking my foundation shade guide, I was right), so you would think it’s safe to assume that you would be the same shade in a different formula available with the same shade names from the same brand. However, what I have learnt from Nars previously is that this isn’t always the case. Take the Nars Sheer Glow Foundation for example, where I am the shade Stromboli vs the Nars All Day Luminous Weightless Foundation where I am the shade Deauville. Confused? Yeah so am I! Anyway, in this instance, St Moritz, described as shade Medium 1 – medium with a neutral yellow undertone, is the closest match to my NC25-30 skin tone, if not the perfect match. Initially, when applying it to the face, it looked a pinch darker and a tad more yellow but once blended out, it is well very aligned with the rest of my body. To see the Velvet Matte Skin Tint in action, check out my video here.

The Velvet Matte Skin Tint comes in a 50ml squeezy black, matte tube and retails for £30. It is a creamy formulation and I could tell right away after swatching it on the back of my hand that the pigment was heavy as it blended in seamlessly yet flawlessly into the skin. Don’t be mistaken into thinking that this matte tint is a tinted moisturiser and therefore a sheer to lightweight formula. This is a proper base with a very buildable coverage. Although the pigment is strong, I find that with the tiniest amount, applied with a damp beauty blender, gives you a beautiful, sheer finish. And although it evened out my skin tone very quickly with just one small dollop, my freckles are still visible (which I like) as are the areas around my nose which suffer from redness (which I don’t quite like). Add a bit more and you can easily build it up to more of a medium level coverage and any blemishes and redness become more concealed yet not at all heavy or cakey. The finish from the off set is definitely matte but it’s more of a soft focus matte rather than a dry, flat or powdery matte. This is definitely my kind of matte.

In terms of performance, I really wanted this to be the product that could defy my oily skin issues and although it lasts longer compared to other foundations on my face without turning into an oil slick by mid-afternoon, there’s no getting away from the pool of oil that congregates on and around my nose by the afternoon. As a result, the foundation starts to break up on either side of my nostrils after a few hours slowly making it’s way down to my upper lip area. It certainly works better with a mattifying primer underneath which helps to maintain my freshly made up face for longer than without but I wouldn’t feel comfortable without touching up at least a couple of times throughout the day. However, this isn’t something I’m not accustomed to especially in the last few months where I feel like my skin has changed (become more oily) so this isn’t a deal breaker. It claims to have a velvet illusion complex that

…transforms the look of skin immediately and over time.

Whilst I agree that it does transform the skin immediately at a superficial level, I have not tested this over a long enough period to say whether it will transform the look of the skin over time and beyond the epidermis.

Overall, I love the soft finish and the way it looks on my skin. It leaves a natural, matte finish, feels super light and stays that way a bit longer than my other favourite bases. The colour match is bang on although Nars are one of the few brands that really gets the warm tones just right. The packaging, although not vanity table worthy, is lightweight, clean and practical making it ideal for travel. For those with combo to oily skin, I think you will like this. Normal skin, a maybe but I cannot imagine dry skin types would want to use it as I feel that they may struggle working this texture against a base that lacks moisture which may cause it to cling to dry patches (although I don’t currently suffer from any dry patches, I thought I should mention that I tested this with the Make Up For Ever Step 1 Skin Equalizer Mattifying Primer, which is a very matte and dry formulation, and found that this product clings to it making things look patchy). This is a brilliant base for my skin type and perfect for everyday wear, one I can certainly see myself reaching for frequently as we approach spring and especially in the summer.